Grace & Hope

Savannah's Funny List

2009-07-12T19:33:00.003-05:00

We just made another trip to Little Rock, AR for Savannah to have another laser treatment on her nose. My dear friend, Jenny , was sweet enough to go with Savannah and I since Joseph had to work.

Savannah did very well...actually better than usual. She usually has a difficult time coming out of the anesthesia, but, thanks to an anesthesiologist who understood our situation and was nice enough to try something a little different, she came out of it better than I could have ever imagined!

On the way to Little Rock, Jenny got so tickled at some of the things that Savannah was saying that she decided to write it all down and I'm calling it "The Funny List". Here goes:

1. "This bathroom smells like fresh bananas!"

2. "Your BBQ will be my potato salad."

3. "No laughing at people when they're crying. That's ugly!"

4. "Don't argue with my Mommy! She will spank your bottom!"

5. "That's not helping me, Jen-Jen!"

6. "Is this a lollipop shop?" (It was actually a daycare painted in extremely bright colors)

7. "That was a joke so write it down with all the others."

My 30th Birthday!!

2009-06-22T13:37:00.002-05:00

I turned 30 in March and my sweet husband planned a surprise party at one of my favorite restaurants in town:

Here is Coach Jenny and her hubby

me and my hubby

Jenna and her hubby

one of my favorite appetizers: cheesesticks

Savannah's 4th Birthday Party

2009-06-22T13:20:00.000-05:00

Since I've been so terrible at updating my blog, I thought I would post some important pictures. These are from Savannah's 4th birthday party in March. Shannon, from The Cookie Mama, made a big "S" cookie cake and 60 cookies for us! The cookies were just beautiful! Here are some pics:

Sorry it's crooked!

Cookies with Savannah's name on them!

Shelbe's Dedication

2009-06-22T13:11:00.000-05:00

I'm so glad that baby dedication fell on Father's Day this year at our church!! What a special day!

This is all of us joining in prayer for the babies that were dedicated and their families.

Savannah and Sarah (who is eating her shirt)

Me and Shelbe (trying to keep Shelbe from pulling my necklace off)

I hope everyone had a blessed Father's Day!

New pics

2009-06-19T21:15:00.001-05:00

It's been too long since I updated this blog and I've had plenty of family members complaining to me about it!:) Having 3 children, as opposed to 2, has made life somewhat busier!:) We are wonderful and are enjoying our sweet girls. Savannah turned 4 in March, Sarah will be 3 in September and Shelbe will be 1 in August. Savannah will be starting K-4 in August. We had considered home schooling but she wants so bad to "go" to school with other kids that we thought we would let her try it and see how it goes. She will only be going for 1/2 days but she is SOOO excited!! We have also signed her up for soccer in the fall! Sarah is my reserved, nurturing child. She likes to take care of all of us! She also wants to do all the things her big sister does. I love her sweet spirit. Both Savannah and Sarah adore Shelbe! I love that they want to include her in all of their activities, whether she is able to participate or not. Shelbe is crawling, pulling up and trying to stand up independently. It won't be long before she is walking and then our household will be even crazier! I am so thankful that God has blessed me with my precious girls! I'm also thankful for my very sweet, thoughtful and attentive husband who is always trying to help and make my job easier!

Sarah playing hopscotch at Papaw and Mamaw's house (notice the crocs on the wrong feet):)

Savannah showing Sarah how to play hopscotch the "correct" way--she's always trying to teach Sarah something.

Me and Shelbe

Shelbe (with Grandma's help in the background)

We are having Shelbe dedicated this Sunday so this is an exciting weekend for us. However, we had to put my MIL in the hospital today with stroke-like symptoms. The doctor is not convinced that it is a stroke so he is still running tests to determine a diagnosis. Please keep her in your prayers!

I hope everyone is doing well!

Love to you all!

Sarah's 2nd Birthday

2008-09-27T23:15:00.010-05:00

My 2nd daughter turned 2 on Friday. We had a little get together with the family that day and then a bigger party with friends and family on Saturday at a park here in our town. It was great weather, great friends and family & great food!

Time goes by so fast when they are this age. It seems like yesterday that I gave birth to my 9 lb. little girl (although not that little, obviously):).

Here are some pics from the parties:

Joseph helping Sarah blow out her candle

Sarah's presents from us and the grandparents were a baby doll changing table and crib. She and Savannah spent the rest of the night changing their doll's diapers on the changing table and putting them to bed in their crib. It was precious!

Our friend, Vicki, did a great job on Sarah's cake! Sarah was so excited to be getting a "Pooh" cake from "Mrs. Bickie." :) Thanks, Vicki, for the beautiful cake!

When I asked Sarah what part of Pooh she wanted to eat, she said she wanted "Pooh toes"!:)

Happy Birthday, Sarah! We Love You!

Go to sleep, Go to sleep little baby...

2008-09-16T22:01:00.002-05:00

I'm learning to survive on less and less sleep. Shelbe is now 4 weeks old and has been doing better with sleeping through the night...until last night. We had been without internet for about a month and just got it hooked up in our new house. Having gone through withdrawls, I was very excited to be able to check my e-mail, news and blogs. I was so excited that I stayed up until 1:00 am. When I went to bed, Shelbe started to wake up. I was glad of this since I was already awake. I planned on feeding her and then getting a good 3-4 hours of sleep in a row. However, Shelbe had other plans. She stayed awake until 5:30 this morning.

This is the part that is difficult for me with having a newborn. It sure does make up for it when they look at you with those sweet eyes and lay their head on your chest when your rocking them in the early morning hours.

I could have a dozen more just like her. :)

Happy 34th Birthday!

2008-09-15T15:04:00.004-05:00

To my wonderful husband...I love you so much! You are my best friend!

Our New Addition

2008-09-10T16:17:00.004-05:00

Let me introduce you to my new little girl. Her name is Shelbe.

These are her proud sisters. There's been no jealousy from them. They just adore her so much and have spent much time kissing and hugging her as well as helping me.

Right before Shelbe was born, we finally got into our own house. We had been staying with my parents hoping our house would sell so we could buy another one. However, we are still waiting on the house to sell. In the meantime, we are renting a house from some friends. Even though it's not ours, we feel blessed to finally be settled back in our hometown, at our church again and surrounded by friends and family!

More to come...

Her Third Birthday Party

2008-03-09T16:48:00.000-05:00

I wanted to post some pictures from the latest birthday party in our family. My oldest turns 3 on the 17th but we had her party this past Saturday. Jenny's mom made the cake for us and it was perfect. My oldest had asked for a Bob & Larry cake (Veggie Tales). She was so excited when she saw the cake. Thank you, Vicki, for making my oldest so happy!!:) Here is the cake and my oldest blowing out the candles.

Jenny's mom also sent us home the scraps from when the cake was made as well as all of the extra icing. (I was pretty excited about all the icing!) Like mother, like daughter, I guess...

The only thing she asked us for was a trampoline. We figured it would be a good gift that both girls could enjoy and would last a long time. They have enjoyed it immensely. Here is a picture of Jenny jumping with my oldest and her 2 kids.

On another note, we got a little bit of snow in our neck of the woods this past weekend. Unlike much of the country that got inches and inches of snow, we got just enough to make a small snowman and throw a few snowballs. Here are some pictures my dad took of their house:

(This is my youngest with her great-grandfather.)

I added this picture only because it makes me laugh. My oldest decided she needed a diaper on (like her sister), her great-grandfather's hat and her great-grandmother's purse.

It was a great day!

Snowman, Cupcakes and A New Picture

2008-01-26T07:03:00.000-06:00

I thought I would finally give an update on what's going on in our world. My husband is very close to starting his new job. The red tape has been awful! We are also about to put the For Sale sign in our yard. I would love for it to sell fast so we can hurry up and move. I would like to be moved before the new baby comes at least. Speaking of the new baby, I went to my first OB-GYN visit this past Thursday.

That's an arm sticking up in the picture! Isn't that so cute!:)

My due date is August 23rd. My doctor doesn't think I'll make it to my due date because he thinks I'll have gestational diabetes again, the baby will get big and we may have to induce early. As long as we have a healthy baby, I'm ok with whatever happens.

I'm also posting a few miscellaneous pictures as well. About a week and a half ago, we got a short snow. My husband and oldest built a very small snowman.

And here are my girls woofing down cupcakes with green icing as fast as their little mouths will let them.

My oldest kept me up on and off all night throwing up. About every hour she would wake up, throw up and go back to sleep. It sounds to me like she may have caught a virus. I'm praying that she doesn't do that all day!

Until next time...

Have a great week!

He Passed!

2008-01-11T18:37:00.000-06:00

You should have seen the relief all over his face when he saw that he had passed! It was great!

Now we're just waiting on his malpractice insurance to come in so he can start work!

Hallelujah! It's over!!:)

Waiting on Results and Making Decisions

2008-01-06T18:20:00.000-06:00

We're waiting on my husband's board results....and, it's torture! We know the package is suppose to be delivered sometime before 3 pm tomorrow (Monday). He was fine until he got a call from a friend with news that she and another classmate had not passed. Now he's concerned and cannot get his mind focused on anything else but getting his results! I really feel for him but there is nothing I can do other than be supportive.

My boss (a speech therapist, too) went on maternity leave so, for the next 10 weeks, I will be working 4 days a week instead of 3. I don't really want to but it has to be done. In the meantime, I'm contemplating turning my notice in and staying home with my children after I have the baby in the late summer. This has always been my and my husband's ultimate goal and this was one reason why he went back to school...for us to be able to afford for me to stay home. I'm going to start really praying about this. I want to be able to let my boss know by early summer if I can.

I've been feeling some general nausea and fatigue lately. I'm blessed that I have never had to deal with severe morning sickness! I'm looking forward to my OB-GYN visit on the 24th, seeing the ultrasound and getting a due date!

Please keep us in your prayers as we wait for board results and make important decisions! Have a great week!

Christmas Pics

2007-12-28T22:25:00.000-06:00

Sorry but this post will be long. I want to share some pics with you from our Christmas vacation to Gatlinburg, TN. The cabin we stayed in called Wrangler's Den had horse rides as well as a petting farm. Here is my oldest on Jack the donkey with her daddy standing guard.

We also walked the hiking trail on the property.

If you look, you can see a beautiful rainbow that God blessed us with on our hike.

Here is my oldest taking her precious time on the hiking trail. She tried to pick up every pine cone she found.
When we got back to our cabin, we saw my youngest peeking out the window when she was suppose to be napping!
We also visited the aquarium in Gatlinburg. Here are my two girls checking out the fish.

Aren't you glad you aren't on the other end of these teeth?!
My husband caught me in a rare moment of insanity and talked me into posing for this!
Christmas Eve after "Santa" brought the toys!

Who doesn't need a Dora the Explorer tent?

We were blessed with a wonderful Christmas!!

AWOL

2007-12-20T17:50:00.000-06:00

I'm writing a very long, overdue post! I've just been overwhelmed! Honestly, posting has just been one more thing I have had on my long list of things to do and it's just had to take a back seat while my husband was wrapping up school. My husband has finally graduated & taken boards so I am going to make a great effort to do better! This has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that my friend, Jenna, has made me feel guilty on a couple occasions!:)

We just got back from Marietta, GA where my husband took his boards. It will take 1-3 weeks to get the results. Despite the waiting, we are still relieved that it's over. That was the last hurdle to get past. Here are a couple of pictures of my husband after receiving his Master's Degree in Nurse Anesthesia.

The first two pictures are of my hubby & me, hubby and his mom. This picture below is a picture of all of us at Jim N Nick's after graduation. If you look closely, you can see Jenny's family. We made a very special announcement to everyone while at the restaurant. Keep reading below to find out the announcement.We are leaving this Saturday going to the Smoky Mountains. Our entire family has rented a cabin and we are spending the holidays in the mountains! We are all very excited!

Another bit of exciting news in our family....we will be having another addition to our family in August! We found out a couple of weeks ago that we are expecting another baby! I'm still very early (around 4 weeks) and have not been to the doctor yet. My first appointment will be January 24th. Speaking of children, I thought I'd post a couple recent pics of my sweet daughters.

Here is my oldest ready for church!
Here is my youngest...yes, that is macaroni and cheese up her nose!

I hope everyone has a wonderful, blessed Christmas!

Thanksgiving

2007-11-23T22:25:00.000-06:00

Before we sat down to enjoy our Thanksgiving meal, our entire family sat down in the living room and went around the room stating one thing that we were thankful for this year. When it was my oldest daughter's turn, I turned to her and said, "What are you thankful for"?

She stated, "Cookies"!

Hey, what can I say? I love cookies, too!:)

Time Alone This Weekend

2007-11-12T09:52:00.000-06:00

My mother blessed my husband and I with a weekend alone. My dad was gone hunting so my mother came to our house, kept our girls and let us have their house to spend the weekend together! We went to see Dan in Real Life. It was funny! The next day, we went to our friends' house to watch the Alabama vs. Mississippi State game and play corn hole. That night we watched The Ultimate Gift. What a great movie! I recommend everyone rent it!! We went to church the next day and then to lunch with more friends! We had a great time visiting with everyone and also enjoying some quiet time together!! Thanks, Mama!!:)

Getting To Know You

2007-11-04T15:15:00.000-06:00

1.What is your occupation? Speech Therapist

2.What color are your socks right now? No socks on right now. It's not that cold.

3. What are you listening to right now? My daughter watching Dora the Explorer

4. What was the last thing that you ate? Pepperoni Bread and marinara sauce

5. Can you drive a stick shift? Yes.

6. What color would you be? Never thought about it, something bright and eye catching

7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? My dad

8. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Absolutely

9. How old are you today? 28--Will be 29 on March 2nd

10. Favorite drink? Sweet Tea; the biggest problems can be solved with a porch swing and a tall glass of ice cold sweet tea

11. What is your favorite sport to watch? College Football

12. Have you ever dyed your hair? Haven't had to start that yet but I will when the time comes! I don't plan on going gray!

13. Pets? 2--Molly the dog and Sox the cat

14. Favorite Food: Party food

15. Last movie you watched? The Astronaut Farmer

16. Favorite Day of the year? Kids’ birthdays, Christmas, Thanksgiving----anytime with family and friends

17. What do you do to vent anger? I call my husband, parents, friends.

18. What was your favorite toy as a child? I don't remember just one--any toy that would take me outside.

19. What is your favorite-- fall or spring? FALL-- cooler weather, glorious colors of changing leaves

20. Hugs or kisses? Hugs

21. Cherry or Blueberry? Neither--I like apple

22. Do you want your friends to do this meme? YES!!

23. Who is most likely to do this? I don't know but I hope anyone who reads it

24. Who is least likely to respond? not sure

25. Living arrangements? In a house with husband, 2 daughters, cat inside and dog outside

26. When was the last time you cried? I can't remember. I don't cry too much.

27. Who is the friend you have had the longest that is reading this?
probably Jenny and then Jenna

28. Who is the friend you have had the shortest that is reading this? any of my blogging friends

30. Favorite smell? cinnamon

31. What inspires you? Family

32. What are you afraid of? Disappointing those I love the most

33. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers? Cheese

34. Favorite car? Chevy Surburban

35. Favorite cat breed? Cats are just plain ole cats to me

36. Number of keys on your key ring? I don't know--my husband would say too many

37. How many years at your current job? 3

38. Favorite day of the week? Thursday (last day of work)--the beginning of a long weekend for me!

39. How many states have you lived in? Mississippi and Alabama

40. If there was one thing in life that you could do to make yourself happy what would it be?
I'm pretty happy right now. Healthy & loving family, great friends, great church--I am looking forward to my husband getting out of school and getting settled back in our hometown.

Pedal Car Give-Away

2007-11-02T22:26:00.000-05:00

5 Minutes for Mom is giving away this adorable pedal car from Pedal Cars and Retro Collectibles . I know that my daughters would LOVE this! Go ahead and sign up!

We're Getting Closer

2007-11-02T11:50:00.000-05:00

Well, we're one step closer...to a life without school! Yesterday was my husband's last day of clinicals. He's spent a year and a half at this hospital so leaving was a little melancholy for him, but, by no means was he sad about leaving. We've been married for 9 years and have only had 1 semester when one or both of us were not in school! We're very excited as to where we are headed in the upcoming months! We got his official graduation date--December 15th! After graduation, taking boards and celebrating the Christmas holidays, we will start working on our house to get it ready to put on the market! We are looking forward to moving back to our hometown and being closer to our family and friends!

This weekend, we're planning on relaxing....watching the Alabama vs. LSU game (ROLL TIDE!), spending time with friends, and eating game day food.

I hope everyone else's weekend is relaxing and pleasant!

Busy, Busy, Busy

2007-10-29T15:00:00.000-05:00

Wow--have we been busy! Here's a short (or long) run down of the last couple of weeks...

It started with a family reunion (my Papaw's side). This family reunion always includes lots of music! This is my dad and Papaw pickin' and grinnin'. (That's a southern sayin from Hee Haw in case you didn't know.)

Here is my Papaw and his brother. They are the only 2 left of all their brothers and sisters.

Here is my husband and nephew playing around.

Me and my youngest

After the reunion, it was back to Papaw & Mamaw's house for some fishing fun!

On Thursdays, my oldest goes to the library for story and music time with Mother Goose. Mother Goose is a lady from our town who dresses up, reads stories to the kids and has music time with them! My daughter ADORES going to see Mother Goose! Last Thursday, the children dressed up in their Halloween costumes. We don't celebrate Halloween but thought it would be fun to dress up anyway. Here is Tinkerbell!!:)
Here is Tinkerbell...along with a fireman, Thomas the train, a cheerleader, a football player, a ladybug and Mother Goose (in the back)!
Then, this Saturday, we went to see the Doodlebops in concert! This was my oldest's first concert! It was a lot of fun!

Here is Grandpa and Grandma (my parents) with my oldest at the concert!

Here's my husband, my oldest and myself!

Yesterday, while home by ourselves, I decided to take my girls to a pretty part of the subdivision and get some pictures.

It's been a fun couple of weeks!

BTW, I posted a new recipe on my recipe blog. My family really liked it! It's a keeper!

I Will Get Better!

2007-10-24T20:15:00.000-05:00

My dear IRL friend, Jenna, made a point to tell me tonight at church that I was seriously slacking on my blogging lately. She's not the first to make this point! The fact is, I'm having trouble finding time to blog. I drive over to my parents house during the week to work and lately we've stayed there during some weekends for various reasons and have been out of town during the rest! Due to all the stuff going on in our life, when I can sit down to blog, my mind goes blank. I will get better, I promise. I'm still in a blogging slump! Don't forget about me! I will be back--posting and commenting soon!

Blogging Slump

2007-10-14T20:25:00.000-05:00

I just haven't been in the blogging mood lately. I'm sure I will come out of it soon, but until then, I thought I could at least post some recent pics.

My youngest-showing off for the camera!

Stuffing her face full of fetticine alfredo

Using sign language for "more"

Signing "more" for me to make Elmo sing

My oldest playing in the sprinkler

Ditto

My oldest wearing the dog's collar and sitting in the dog's water bowl...I don't know why!:)
Dressed in her fairy princess costume

Until next time....:)

Vacation Pictures

2007-10-08T17:27:00.000-05:00

We had a wonderful time at the beach! We were blessed to be asked by Jenny's family to go with them to Orange Beach, AL! We had the best time! Here are a few pics:

Here's my oldest and Jenny's youngest being buried in the sand.

Here's my oldest with Jenny's dh and my husband at Lambert's. Oldest getting ready to go to the "Big Water"

We were definetly not ready to come back to "real life"!

Meme Time

2007-10-01T21:42:00.000-05:00

1. Accent--Definetly Southern

2. I don't drink anything alcoholic. I love Diet Coke, Diet Dr. Pepper and Milo's tea with Splenda.

3. Chores I dislike--I hate de-cluttering. I never know where to put papers. I need to be more organized. This is a goal of mine for when my husband graduates and we move back home.

4. Pets--Mutt dog (part Jack Russell) named Molly and a cat named Sox

5. Essential Electronics--computer

6. Perfume--don't wear it. I'm a lotion person instead.

7. Gold or Silver-Silver--my wedding ring is gold though.

8. Insomnia--never had it until I had children.

9. Job Title--Speech Therapist (part-time), Wife & Mom

10. Most Admired Traits--Ability to eat 1/2 dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts in one sitting!:)

11. Kids--I have 2 daughters.

12. Phobia--I am afraid of spiders and snakes.

13. Religion--Christian. We attend an Assembly of God church.

14. Siblings--I am an only child.

15. Time I wake up--I get up at 5:00 am on days I work.

16. Unusual talent/skill--I can make myself burp. I was taught how to do this (and pretty well) by a family friend when I was very young!

17. Vegetables I refuse to eat--brussel sprouts, asparagus, beets and turnip greens.

18. Worst habit--stress eating

19. X-rays--dental, chest

20. My favorite meal--Fettucine Alfredo with Chicken or Shrimp

21. I am tagging: whoever wants to do this meme. Let me know if you do this so I can read it!

Blog Makeover--I Really Want This!!!

2007-09-30T21:55:00.000-05:00

Splat Creative Designs is giving a away a blog makeover. Go check it out and sign up! It ends Oct. 4th!

Weekend Reflection

2007-09-30T10:22:00.000-05:00

We've been blessed with a good week! However, our next week is looking even more promising because we're heading to the beach!!!! YEEEAAAHHHH!

Monday--Enjoyed the day at home with my daughters!
Tuesday--Work day! Not a lot going on at work....just seeing patients in the hospital and in outpatient.
Wednesday--Work day! I met a friend for lunch that I went to college with. She and her husband are in the military. They just moved back here from California and are about to have their first baby...a girl! It was so nice to get to visit with her! We went to church after work!
Thursday--Work day! Drove home after work! By this time in the week, my oldest is saying, "I want to go to my house" and "I love my house". It's hard on the girls to be away from home during the week but we don't have much longer! My husband's graduation is just around the corner!
Friday--Spent the day playing outside, watching Veggie Tales with the girls and cooking dinner...hamburger steak with gravy, creamed corn and rolls! YUM!
Saturday--My mom came over around lunch time and played with us! My dad came over around supper time. We grilled hamburgers and enjoyed time together the rest of the night.
Sunday--My dad is flying out on a business trip today and my husband is studying for a mid-term. My mom, the girls and I are going to hang out at home a little while and then go to town!

I hope everyone else had a great weekend! We're heading to the beach this week! I'll have pictures to post when we get back!!

Toddler Talk

2007-09-26T17:55:00.000-05:00

While counting money in my oldest's "Hello Kitty" purse....

Mommy: "What are you going to do with all this money?"

Oldest: "I'm going to buy some POWERED doughnuts."
__________________________________________________

While sewing with my 72 year old MIL...

Oldest to her Mamaw: "When you get older you can sew but right now you're not big enough."

__________________________________________________

Oldest to Mommy: "Your toenail polish is making my bottom hurt. I need some cream for my bottom."

**Where does she get some of this stuff?**
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Talking with oldest about going to the beach (or the "big water" as she calls it)...

Oldest: "I'm gonna catch crabs when I get to the big water."

Mommy: "You are? What do crabs look like?"

Oldest: "Like oatmeal, grits and porridge."
_________________________________________________

Mommy: "What do you want Santa Claus to bring you for Christmas?"

Oldest: "I want him to bring me candy, balls to throw in the air and cake."

**She gets the sweet tooth from me!**

__________________________________________________

Weekend Reflection

2007-09-22T15:45:00.000-05:00

Wow--my weeks seem so busy. My husband keeps saying, "I've been waiting on you to post something else." I've been having a hard time finding time to do so but here it is...finally!:)

Monday--Hung out with my girls at home.
Tuesday--Work day! Today was birthday lunch at work. The theme was "appetizers". I made Mississippi State Sin Dip. You can see the recipe here.
Wednesday--Work day! Today was staff meeting during lunch. It's harmless but boring!:) I had a massage right after lunch! It was WONDERFUL! We went to church after work. I ended up staying in the nursery because the person scheduled to do it didn't show up.
Thursday--Work day! It was a good day! I ran errands at lunch and the girls and I came home after work. It's always nice coming home after being gone for 2 days. My MIL came home with us.
Friday--My husband's family came over. We grilled out and just hung out together.
Saturday--My husband and my nephew are going to the University of Alabama campus to hang out before the Alabama vs. Georgia game. The women are all going to Target!!:)

I hope everyone had a great week!

Football, Dedication and B-day Cake

2007-09-17T12:25:00.000-05:00

Wow--was that an exciting game or what!!! My husband & I went to the Alabama vs. Arkansas game Saturday night! I couldn't have asked for a better game for his birthday. It was a nail-biter all the way down to the last 8 seconds when Alabama scored the winning touchdown!

The next morning, our youngest was dedicated in church...

After church, we had her "one year old" birthday party"...

Enjoying pizza

Making a mess of her birthday cake

My oldest scarfing down pizza as fast as she can

Jenna and her husband, B.

Jenny and her husband, dh

It's Gonna Be A Busy Weekend!

2007-09-13T21:49:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is the big game!!! If you read my previous post, you probably already know that I bought my husband Alabama vs. Arkansas tickets for his birthday. He's a die hard Bama fan! The game isn't until 5:45 pm but we're going to the quad early to experience all the pre-game fun (food, games, music)! My favorite part is the Million Dollar Band. I was a band geek in jr. high and high school so I always look forward to that. Different sections of the band will be at different places on the quad playing before the game. Of course, I love when they play at half-time. I'm sure my friend, Jenny , is gagging right now over all this Bama talk since she is a die hard MSU fan.

After the game (which will be really late), my husband and I will be stopping by a friend's house from work to pick up my youngest daughter's b-day cake. Here is the picture I gave her to copy:

My youngest is being dedicated Sunday morning and then we are having her "1st" birthday party right after church! I'm looking forward to all this fun that we have planned!

BTW, my friend, JennaG , has a birthday this Saturday! She is going to be........older than me. :) I wouldn't really tell her age. She actually shares a birthday with my husband. Go wish her a very happy birthday!!

This & That

2007-09-10T19:47:00.000-05:00

Today has been a little frustrating for me. I enjoyed having my girls with me all day but I'm so tired of being sick. I've been having hot flashes all day, I'm clammy and I can't quit coughing. I'm not running fever--just feeling yucky. I enjoyed getting out by myself to go pick up Mexican food for our supper. I turned on our Christian radio station and it really lifted my spirits! I don't get much time alone, but when I do escape in my car by myself, I enjoy some good worship time.

My husband's birthday party was really fun! We enjoyed good times with friends and family. I'm including some pictures but they didn't turn out so well for some reason.

My husband and oldest blowing out the birthday candles! My husband requested a strawberry cake that my mom makes! It is absolutely wonderful! I have posted the recipe on my food blog in case you want to try it!

Opening some much appreciated cash for his birthday!

Opening a gag gift from Jenny and dh . The name of the book is "Walter the Farting Dog". There is an ongoing joke amongst our friends re: my husband's ***ahem*** digestive system. ***ahem***

Jenny smiling for the camera!

From left to right: Jenny, dh, my husband and JennaG . JennaG tried quite hard to avoid pictures but was ultimately unsuccessful!!:)

From left to right: my youngest, my SIL and JennaG's husband, B.

A very fuzzy picture of Jenny's dh and my husband enjoying some football and homemade ice cream.
My gift to my husband....2 football tickets to the Alabama vs. Arkansas football game next Saturday! We're really looking forward to that!!

Weekend Reflection

2007-09-07T19:42:00.000-05:00

This has not been my best week. The Lord was good to me but I have not felt well. I have actually been sick since last Thursday. Both of my girls and my mother had the same thing but they have recovered more quickly than I have.

Monday--Sick but went shopping with my mom and my girls. While out, I dropped my wallet and by the time I retrieved it, someone had stolen my debit card. I had to fill out a police report, cancel the card and order a new one! Ugh!!!!!
Tuesday--Still sick. I had to call in to work and stay at my parents house. I was just too ill to go home and take care of the girls by myself.
Wednesday--Still sick but slightly better. Still stayed home from work and wasn't able to go to church.
Thursday--I was just well enough to get up, put my clothes on, take the girls to the baby sitter and go to work. I still didn't feel well but made it at work until the middle of the afternoon.
Friday--We've come over to my parents b/c we're having my husband's birthday party tomorrow. My grandparents have come over. The Coach for Life family and the Jenna's Joyful Journey family are coming to the party! I'm looking forward to seeing them!

Hope everyone else had a great week and has a wonderful weekend!

Nothing But Her Skivvies and Cowboy Boots

2007-09-06T21:40:00.000-05:00

We went shopping this weekend and stopped in The Children's Place (I love this store!). My oldest saw this pair of cowboy boots and would not let them go. I was a softy and got them for her. She has not gone one day without wearing them. She wears them with dresses, pants, shorts and, of course, just her skivvies.

Holiday Fun

2007-09-02T21:16:00.000-05:00

The weekends are usually my times for blogging but this weekend was different. We spent the weekend at my grandparents house out in the country.

We did a little fishing for bream...

Here is my Papaw's pond...
I had to post a picture of my husband fishing with a Barbie fishing pole so that Jenny's dh and Jenna's B. could see it!:)
We caught a little one...

A medium size one...

And a big one...(Notice our excitment!)

We also played in the dirt...

Wore a toilet seat around our neck...(I did not personally participate in this one!)

And around our head...(Or this one)

Played in the water hose...

A lot...

Played in Mamaw's flower beds...

Played in the bucket of rain water...

Got stung by a red wasp...

And spent a lot of time with family...

It was a good weekend!

Weekend Reflection

2007-08-26T19:07:00.000-05:00

I had meant to post my Weekend Reflection yesterday but the whole poop situation gave me alternative posting material! Despite the poop incident, we've had a great week!

Monday--I stayed home with the girls today. This day is usually spent packing diaper bags, suitcases, etc. for our upcoming days when I work and we stay with my parents.
Tuesday--Work day!
Wednesday--Work day and church day! I let my parents take my oldest to church. I stayed home with my youngest because I wasn't feeling well.
Thursday--Work day! I went to a neat little scrapbooking store in our hometown where I ordered my youngest's birthday party invitations. She will be "1" on September 26th. She's being dedicated on September 8th and we're going to have her party after church that morning.
Friday--Stayed home with the girls for most of the day. Some of my husband's family from Louisiana came to my MIL's so we went and ate dinner with them!
Saturday and Sunday--Spending time with family and going to church!

3 Things I'm Thankful for This Week:

1. Family that we haven't seen in a while coming to town!

2. My wonderful husband--He's such a blessing to me!

3. Family, friends, our church, blogging buddies!

HELP--I Wasn't Prepared for This!

2007-08-25T02:13:00.000-05:00

This may be the grossest post I ever write. If you have a weak stomach, I suggest you run away....quickly. Let me start by saying that I love my children and I love being a mom. However, there are some things that I don't handle well....and this is one of them. Remember, I warned you! Proceed with caution and don't blame me if you hurl in your bowl of cereal!

I laid my youngest down for a nap and, being the scatter brain that I am, forgot to put any clothes on her except for her diaper. If you have children, you already know where I'm going with this.

When I went in to get her, IT was all over everything!

It was all over her bed, sheets, blankets, teddy bear, fluffy pink elephant, etc.

Yes, it was all over her face... (including in her nose)

All over her feet...

All over her hands...

And, my favorite, all in her hair...but I'll save you a picture of that!

Perhaps she looks so distraught because I screamed, "*YOUNGEST*, YOU HAVE POOPED AND GOTTEN IT EVERYWHERE!"

Perhaps she looked so distraught because I scrubbed with such intensity!

Perhaps she looked so distraught because I washed her hair THREE times!

Perhaps she looked so distraught because I made her sit there until I could empty out the poop water and fill it up with clean water so that I could bathe and rinse her off again!

Perhaps she looked so distraught because I kept saying, "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU GOT POOP EVERYWHERE!"

Or, perhaps she was so distraught because I kept taking pictures during the whole thing!

So, after the initial shock and intensified bathing, I got this...

And I tried to tackle this...

And this...

Oh, in case you're wondering, I'm ok now. I cleaned the poop, resolved my frustration by taking some deep breaths and am continuing to have a great weekend!

And my youngest is ok, too!

Just This and That

2007-08-24T11:56:00.000-05:00

Well, this has been a busy week. I'll leave the details for my Weekend Reflection that I'll post tomorrow. Because we usually stay at my parents house on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, I don't get to blog during the middle of the week. Most of blogging is done Friday-Monday (my off days). My husband started back to school and this will be his last semester (YIPEEEEEE)! He just bound his 17 page research paper so that is a relief to him. All that's left is clinicals, a class or two and taking boards. I'm so proud of him! He sure has worked hard!

September is going to be a birthday and dedication month for us. My husband's birthday is on the 15th (He shares the same birthday as my dear friend, Jenna ). My youngest daughter will be turning "1" on September 26th. We're having her dedicated on September 16th. I'll post pictures of all of this when it happens!

Tonight, we're traveling to our hometown because some of my husband's family from Louisiana is coming into town and we're meeting at my MIL's house for dinner. It will be nice to see them.

Until next time....

Weekend Reflection

2007-08-18T22:55:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a great week! Ours has been busy but blessed!

--Monday-I worked most of the day Monday for another speech therapist who wanted off to take her little boy to his first day of Kindergarten.

--Tuesday-Another work day! Today was birthday lunch at work. The theme was Italian. I made bruschetta with Italian bread! I was really pleased with it! It was really good. I will post the recipe on my cooking
blog this weekend for those who might want to try it.

--Wednesday-Work day again! Today, during lunch, we had staff meeting. These are usually short and harmless!:) After work, we went to church, which is always a blessing to me!

--Thursday-Last work day of the week! Thank goodness! I like my job but am always glad when my work week ends! My mom and I fixed Poppyseed Chicken Casserole and it was delicious! I suppose I should post that recipe on my food blog as well!:)

--Friday-I was still at my parents' house so I got to sleep in a little bit this day! My husband came over after work and we went to Jenny's house to play farkle with their family and Jenna's family! It was sooo much fun!

--Saturday-After staying out so late, I slept in until 10:00 am! My husband and I came home with the girls and are planning on having family time for the next couple of days!!

3 Things I'm Thankful for This Week:

--Family-Our family helps us so much right now while my husband is in school! We are truly blessed with a wonderful family!

--Friends-I love getting together with friends and the Lord has blessed us with great friends! I'm also thankful for my blogging buddies!:)

--Health-We are all well and very rarely experience serious illness! I thank the Lord that my youngest daughter's fever has stayed down over the last couple of days in the midst of some serious teething woes!!

For more Weekend Reflections, visit Judi at Mommy of Two.

Farkle, Farkle and More Farkle

2007-08-18T13:12:00.000-05:00

We've had the best time playing farkle with our friends D. and Jenny and B. and Jenna. Last night, Jenny and Jenna's family went to a football game and, afterwards, we all got together to play farkle. We didn't even get to Jenny's house until 10:30 pm. Jenna's first comment as she walked in the door was, "I'm too old for this!" :) Personally, I always feel too old to do anything after 9:00 pm. Nonetheless, we had the best time. My plan was to sweep the games and declare them all losers but it didn't work out that way. My husband, Jenna and Jenny's son, T., won the games!

Of course, we had great food as well. Jenny made a dirt cake (minus the worms and bucket you see in the picture), Jenna brought chips, dip and cookies and my husband made hot corn dip.

We didn't get in the bed until 1:30 this morning. I woke up wishing I had taken my camera so I could share pictures with you! I'll do better next time! I promise!

Quirk Factor

2007-08-17T16:39:00.002-05:00

I saw that Jenny did one of these and thought I would do a test of my own. I guess I'm just a LITTLE quirky.

Your Quirk Factor: 34%

You have a few little quirks, but you generally blend in well with society.
Only those who know you well know how weird you can be.

How Quirky Are You?

Toddler Talk

2007-08-15T16:48:00.000-05:00

A few comments from my oldest over the last couple of days:

Oldest: "Daddy, I'm sorry!" (apologizing for hitting someone)
Daddy: "Why are you sorry?"
Oldest: "Because I don't want to sit in time out!"

___________________________________________________

We were laying in the bed and she put her hands on me and started rocking me back and forth.

Mommy: "What are you doing?"
Oldest: "I'm rocking you to sleep because you're so tasty."

Ok, I'm not sure what that means.

___________________________________________________

Oldest: "Mommy, what are you doing?"
Mommy: "I'm taking *youngest's* temperature." (rectal temperature)
Oldest: " Do me!" (she says as she pulls her pants down, puts her head on the floor and bottom in the air)

___________________________________________________

Teething Woes

2007-08-15T16:45:00.000-05:00

My husband took my youngest daughter to the pediatrician and it was determined that the fever is coming from teething. I was under the wrong impression that teething caused low-grade fever but I was mistaken. Hers has jumped to 103.9 on Sunday, went away from Sunday afternoon to yesterday and shot back up today. We're just doing all we can to comfort her. Thanks to everyone for your prayers for her!

Weekend Reflection

2007-08-12T10:23:00.000-05:00

I should be at church this morning, but, instead, I'm home with my sick baby. My youngest has been running fever for 2 days. We thought it was just teething but this morning it rose to 103.9. Our pediatrician has asked us to meet him at his office at 7:30 in the morning. Until then, we're staying in. I figured I could at least catch up on my blogging while we're at home. This ought to make JennaG's husband happy as he just told me that I was "slacking" on my posting lately. :)

Monday--I stayed at home with my girls and enjoyed their company.
Tuesday--Work day! After work, a friend that I work with and I had a girls' night out. We went to eat and then to see Hairspray. We had a great time. It was nice to get to know her better. We said we were going to make that a monthly thing and I really hope we do!
Wednesday--Work day! I was so tired after work that I stayed home with my youngest and let my parents go to church with my oldest. I hate for my oldest to miss her "big girl class". She always comes out telling me what she's learned. Lately, she's been learning "God helped Joshua and God helps me". I'm amazed at what she soaking in even at her young age.
Thursday--Work day! My husband took his final today and made an "A" on his test and an "A" for his overall grade! I'm so proud of him!
Friday--This was the day my youngest started running fever. I had planned on keeping the girls home but we decided to come to our hometown to take her to the pediatrician. They closed at lunch so we weren't able to get in. We decided to stay at my parents' house anyway because we had been invited by JennaG and her husband for dinner and games Saturday night.
Saturday--We hung out at my parents' house until going to JennaG's house with Jenny and her husband to play farkle and eat Pioneer Woman's lasagna. It was so much fun and the lasagna was absolutely wonderful!!
Sunday--I'm at home with my youngest just trying to keep her fever down until we can take her to the pediatrician in the morning. My husband and my oldest daughter went to church. I just laid my baby down for a nap (which she did not appreciate at all.) :) Honestly, I'm kinda enjoying the quiet time right now.

3 Things I'm Thankful for This Week:

1. Wonderful friends that the Lord has given us to fellowship with!

2. Great family that is such a blessing to us!

3. Salvation--The Lord is so good to me!

I hope everyone else had a great week and is enjoying the Lord's day!!

Lessons Learned

2007-08-06T21:52:00.000-05:00

We've tried to teach our oldest good manners. When it comes to passing gas, I've tried to teach her to do it privately, but if needed, say "Excuse me".

Tonight, my husband and I were putting her to bed. My husband left to brush his teeth, and, had obviously (by smell), passed gas before leaving her room. After he left, my daughter looked at me and said, "Excuse Daddy".

To which I said, "Yes, excuse Daddy". **Smile and giggle**

"The Secret"

2007-08-05T19:10:00.000-05:00

I was surprised Friday when I was whisked away by my husband for a anniversary trip! I just thought we were going to dinner and a movie, but, unknown to me, he had packed our suitcase to take me to a bed and breakfast that we stayed at for our first anniversary. He even booked the same room we stayed in 8 years ago. It is called "The Secret Bed & Breakfast" and is located in Leeseburg, AL. We had the best time and came back feeling so refreshed!!

Look What I Got Today!!

2007-08-01T21:17:00.000-05:00

Today is our 9th anniversary! My sweet husband sent me these beautiful roses to work today! Nine years ago today, I married the most wonderful man in the world and I would do it all over again!

OK, We Really NEED This!!

2007-07-31T22:43:00.000-05:00

If I won this, my husband would be on cloud 9!!! 5 Minutes for Mom is giving this away courtesy of Best Buy . You better go sign up--you only have until August 17th. Of course, if you don't want to sign up, that's ok with me too!! ;)

Happy Birthday To You (singing)!

2007-07-31T06:07:00.000-05:00

I wanted to say a big "Happy Birthday" to my IRL and blogging friend, Jenny. I have known her for 8 years now and she has been the dearest friend!

I will be fussed at by both Jenny and Jenna for posting the top 2 pics but I just had to! :)

Go by and wish Jenny a wonderful day!!

100 Things About Me!

2007-07-30T12:57:00.000-05:00

It's my 100th post!!!

1. I am a believer.

2. I was saved at a young age.

3. I met my husband at church camp.

4. I met him when I was 17.

5. He was 21.

6. I married when I was 19.

7. He was 23.

8. We were married in Greenwood, MS.

9. My anniversary is August 1st.

10. We will be married 9 years this year.

11. My birthday is March 2nd.

12. I am short--5'3''.

13. My husband is tall--6'2".

14. I live in the DEEP South.

15. We were raised in Pentecostal churches.

16. We attend an Assembly of God church.

17. I am a speech therapist.

18. I work with children and adults and like my job very much.

19. I found that having children gave me much more compassion for my patients.

20. I have 2 daughters.

21. My oldest was born with a hemangioma on her nasal tip.

22. She has undergone many laser treatments and one big surgery to correct it.

23. She still has some abnormal coloration.

24. It is 300 times better than it was.

25. She still has more treatments ahead.

26. I lived in Memphis, TN for 8 years.

27. I never went to Graceland.

28. I did sign the wall in front of Graceland.

29. I use to live just a few miles from Jerry Lee Lewis.

30. I use to play in the band in Jr. High and High School.

31. I played the saxophone.

32. I don't play it anymore.

33. I played softball most of my life and also played in high school.

34. I love to play softball.

35. I never learned how to play fast pitch softball (but I wish I had).

36. I play the piano a little.

37. I like to sing and use to sing at church.

38. I thought about doing it again but I don't like to be in front of people (even in a group).

39. I always got really nervous before going on stage.

40. I am an only child.

41. I always wanted a brother/sister but being an only child has its perks, too.

42. I will be glad when my husband finishes graduate school.

43. I love going to the mountains--Pigeon Forge, TN is one of my favorite places to go.

44. My husband and I want to travel one day.

45. I really love my husband.

46. I think he's hot!!!!;)

47. I love diet coke.

48. I love chocolate.

49. I love to shop.

50. I drive a Honda Accord.

51. I live close to most of my immediate family.

52. My whole family prayed that we would live close to each other for 8 long years.

53. When it happened, I considered it a miracle from God.

54. My favorite book is "Redeeming Love" by Francine Rivers.

55. I love recipe books.

56. I get this from my mother. She collects recipe books.

57. The name of my blog, Grace & Hope, are combined parts of names of people in my family.

58. I had gestational diabetes with my last pregnancy.

59. Since then, I have quit drinking anything containing sugar.

60. I have trouble cutting sweets from my diet.

62. I have a serious sweet tooth.

63. I love to go to the movies!

64. My husband go to the movies any chance we get!

65. The last movies we saw were Transformers and Oceans 13--both in the same night!

66. Right now, my favorite place to eat is a local restaurant in our hometown and I love their Asian Chicken Salad.

67. I eat most things plain.

68. Sonic is my favorite fast food place to get a hamburger!

69. I am IRL friends with Jenny and Jenna.

70. My husband is also wonderful friends with their husbands and my oldest thinks they all hung the moon.

71. The hubs and I had dinner with Jenny and her husband last night. You can read about it here.

72. I work at Baptist Memorial Hospital .

73. I love my job!

74. I want more children.

75. I've always said that I wanted 4 children. I have 2 now and we'll see how 3 goes.

76. I like to send packages to soldiers overseas who are fighting in the war.

77. I (and my husband) correspond with one and send him boxes of goodies as often as we can.

78. I don't watch much TV.

79. I don't like how it consumes me.

80. If I let myself, I could watch hours of TV at a time.

81. I find that I'm much more productive and don't struggle as much with negative thoughts when I don't watch TV.

82. However, I do see more than my fair share of Veggie Tales, Elmo, Doodlebops and Barney!

83. I like to exercise while listening to my IPOD but I don't get to much right now.

84. I am trying to change this!

85. I have a dog named Molly (a jack russell mix).

86. I found her at Walmart.

87. I have a cat named Sox.

88. I named him Sox because he is gray except for his white feet.

89. I LOVE Christmas!!

90. I will be spending the Christmas holiday with my entire family in the Smoky Mountains!

91. I love the snow but we don't get it much here in the deep South.

92. I would love to be a SAHM one day.

93. I have to keep working until we are through correcting my oldest daughter's nasal tip hemangioma due to insurance reasons.

94. I don't mind working. The Lord has blessed me to only have to work 3 days a week to keep us on that insurance.

95. I will be married 9 years on Wednesday! UH-OH, I think I've already said this. I'm running out of things to say!!:)

96. I would marry my husband all over again!

97. I love to cook.

98. I have missed out on meeting some blogging friends.

99. I would really like to meet you someday!

100. I am blessed to have a wonderful Savior, fantastic family, and great friends!

Today, I'm Just Sad

2007-07-25T21:58:00.000-05:00

I wanted to write something today but was having trouble getting in the mood. I'm just sad. A friend of mine that works at the hospital with me went through in-vitro to become pregnant. She was so excited to find out that she was expecting triplets. Not long ago, she found out she was going to be having 3 boys. Two days ago (at 19 weeks gestation), she found out that they had died. Not only did she lose all 3 babies, she had to be induced to deliver them. She delivered at 6:30 am today, but she won't be able to take home her babies. I just hurt for her. I know that God knows all and that He is completely sovereign. I believe that with all of my heart! My heart still aches for her when I think about what a loss she must feel.

Since I heard about this, I have thought about the blessings that I don't always remember...fertility and the ability to carry a baby full-term. So many women struggle with this and how, I know, they must ache for a child. The Lord has blessed me with two healthy babies! I can't thank Him enough!

Lord, bless the women (and their husbands), who are struggling with infertility. Work YOUR will out in their life because you are GOD and you know what is best for them. Give them strength, hope and, most importantly, reveal your love for them so that those that don't know you will learn what an awesome God you really are. I don't know how they cope with these situations without You!

No More Monkeys Jumping On the Bed

2007-07-23T22:03:00.000-05:00

My oldest daughter just upgraded from a toddler bed to a full size bed. I ordered new bedding for it and, as soon as I put it on, both our girls decided it was the perfect time to have a little fun jumping on the bed!

Birthday Party Pictures from the Weekend

2007-07-23T08:45:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures from my MIL's 72nd birthday party this weekend!

My grandmother and MIL

Here is my MIL--stylin' and profilin'

My youngest--stylin' and profilin'

Chocolate icing is just too much temptation for my oldest daughter

My niece acting normal

My niece acting goofy

My good looking husband about to chow down

Weekend Reflection

2007-07-20T10:03:00.000-05:00

I haven't done a Weekend Reflection in a while. We've been so busy! We've been blessed with health, family and friends! The Lord is good!

Monday--This was one of my days off. My mother came over to help me take the girls to Sears to get their pictures taken. My oldest daughter did a great job but my youngest was scared and cried the whole time. We got a few good pictures. You can see a couple of the girls and I on my sidebar.

Tuesday--Work day! I enjoyed my day of treating patients! At one point in my career, I had become so discouraged in my work and wasn't enjoying my patients. I prayed that the Lord would give me a heart to love them, see their potential and help them reach it. Since then, the Lord has really helped me build connections with my patients.

Wednesday--Work day! The girls and I went to our home church. My oldest is loving her 2 and 3 year old class. I'm enjoying the adult class. Our pastor is teaching on the book of Judges.

Thursday--Work day! I met my parents for lunch at a local restaurant that serves good Southern cooking. I enjoyed corn souffle, green beans and fried green tomatoes. For dessert, we shared a large chocolate chip cookie (cooked and served in a cast iron skillet) topped with chocolate chunks, vanilla ice cream, whipped topping and chocolate syrup! It was wonderful! My husband and I were able to put the girls down to bed and enjoy eating supper and watching a movie together. (My husband actually slept through the movie!) :)

Friday--I'm off today. After my husband gets off work, we will be going to my parents house. My grandparents are coming over and we will be celebrating my mother-in-law's 72nd birthday tomorrow. She has requested fried chicken (and the fixings) and coconut cake. She is a special woman and we all love her very much!

3 Things I'm Thankful for This Week:

1. My patients and their families. I treat children and adults and have come to love and respect them. Whether it is a stroke, congenital condition or just a speech/language delay, most of my patients' families bring them faithfully to therapy and even work with them at home to help them make progress. They encourage me with their strength!

2. My mother-in-law--She is a wonderful lady! She raised my husband and sister-in-law by herself. (My father-in-law died when my husband was 6.) She never learned to drive and was only educated through the 7th grade. She always trusted the Lord to feed and clothe her children! She is a strong and faithful servant of the Lord!

3. My blogging friends--I've seen a few of my blogging friends actually get to meet IRL. I'm a little jealous (in a good way):) and hope to meet many of you in the future! I read your posts and am encouraged and blessed that the Lord has placed you in my life!

For more Weekend Reflections, visit Judi at Mommy of Two.

Putting Our Oldest to Bed

2007-07-17T18:23:00.000-05:00

This is usually what happens when my husband puts our oldest daughter to bed! I love this picture!

Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Thingies

2007-07-16T21:12:00.000-05:00

I had planned to fix these for our monthly birthday lunch at work but figured I better try them out first. I fixed them yesterday and, boy, were they good!! I think my husband used the word "extraodinary"! However, I highly recommend using gloves when fixing them. I didn't use gloves but washed my hands afterwards. However, even after washing my hands, I touched my face and "OH MY WORD"--my face was on fire!!!!! My hands burned all night long!!!!! WOW! I actually had a paper towel with ice inside lying on my face!! To sum it up: USE GLOVES!

Ok, on to the recipe!

BACON-WRAPPED JALAPENO THINGIES

Fresh jalapenos, 2-3 inches in size

Cream cheese, softened

Thin (regular) bacon, sliced into thirds

Cut jalapenos in half, length-wise. With a spoon, remove the seeds and white stuff (leave a little white stuff if you want it HOT). Smear cream cheese into each jalapeno half. Wrap jalapeno with bacon. Secure with toothpick. (You can freeze them at this point, if you like).

Bake (I put them on a cookie sheet) at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes. You don't want the bacon to shrink so much that it starts to squeeze the jalapeno. If the bacon isn't brown enough after 25 minutes, broil them for a couple of minutes.

Recipe and picture from http://www.thepioneerwomancooks.com/

Christmas in July

2007-07-15T21:50:00.000-05:00

I'm looking way ahead to Christmas time in anticipation! This is where we will be spending our Christmas holidays with our family! This cabin is in Townsend, TN, which is close to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg -- all of which are in the Great Smoky Mountains! If you've never been, GO! It is beautiful!!

Parents Night Out

2007-07-14T21:07:00.000-05:00

I haven't written in a quite a few days. After working this week, the hubs and I were blessed when my mom agreed to keep the girls while we drove off for a night away in Birmingham, AL . It was wonderful! When we got there Friday night, we went to eat at Johnny Rockets . My husband thinks they have the best hamburgers! After eating, we went straight to the movies. At 8:00 pm we saw Transformers . My husband had already seen it and highly recommended it. To be honest, I wasn't impressed enough by the trailers to want to see it. However, I'm so glad I went! It was a great movie!! As we were leaving the theater, my husband saw that Oceans 13 was playing at 11:00 pm. Knowing that I had wanted to see it also, he said, "Do you want to stay and see it too?". I said sure and we ended up staying at the movies until 1:30 am. Today, we slept in, went to eat lunch at The Cheesecake Factory and went shopping at The Summit. It was so nice to spend time together. These times really are refreshing for us! We sure were excited to see the girls when we got home!

Mommy's Two Girls

2007-07-09T10:54:00.000-05:00

We Are Going To See The King

2007-07-07T18:03:00.000-05:00

Soon and very soon
We are going to see the King
Soon and very soon
We are going to see the King

Soon and very soon
We are going to see the King
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
We are going to see the King

No more dying there
We are going to see the King
No more dying there
We are going to see the King

No more dying there
We are going to see the King
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
We are going to see the King

**I love this old song. It brings joy to my heart! My husband and I have been singing this song all day today. My oldest daughter picked up on it and started singing with us tonight--except she says "Hallelu-lah". :)

The South and BBQ

2007-07-06T19:12:00.000-05:00

I don't know if everyone knows this or not, but we Southerners love our BBQ. Now, Deep South BBQ is different than BBQ you might get in North Carolina. North Caroliners (and others I'm sure) like a vinegar based BBQ sauce. You don't get that as much in the Deep South. We like a sweet or tangy BBQ sauce. Tomorrow, we will be enjoying such BBQ at a famous Southern restaurant in AL called Dreamland.

When you sit down, they bring you Sunbeam white bread and their BBQ sauce for dipping. That's it. That's your appetizer.

Their menu is rather simple. Ribs, pork sandwiches, smoked sausage and chicken. You can also order french fries and their WONDERFUL banana pudding.

I will be trying to watch what I eat, but I'm looking forward to enjoying a nice lunch with my family!

I hope everyone else has a wonderful weekend!

Night Time Sweetness

2007-07-05T20:41:00.000-05:00

When I stay with my parents (which has been a lot lately), I usually have my 2 year old in the bed with me. Tonight, as I was laying with her, she rolled over put her face on mine and shouted, "Not by the hair of my chiny chin chin!". I had to giggle.

Then, she layed her head on my chest and said, "You're my best friend".

WOW! My heart felt so full at that moment!

Molly

2007-07-03T20:26:00.000-05:00

The Lord has answered a prayer for me. I know that not all people are animal lovers, but I am. We have had our dog, Molly, for about 8 years now. The hubs and I found her at Walmart early in our marriage. In fact, my husband wasn't too thrilled to take her home. Especially when she jumped in his lap in our car and leaked milk all over his pants. (She had obviously been dropped off after having puppies). I don't get to spend as much time with her as I use to, but I love her nonetheless.

She went missing about 3 days ago. My husband left our fence gate open and she escaped. She's done this before but has always come back. My husband printed fliers and posted them around the subdivision and has driven around calling her for the last 3 days. Tonight, he went to the Humane Society and actually found her there.

I wasn't a good owner and did not have a collar on her. Anyway, they won't release her to us until we show them a picture of her to prove that she is ours. That's ok. I have one and we will go get her on Thursday. (They are closed tomorrow).

I've been praying that the Lord would help us find her. I actually fell asleep praying for that last night ! I'm so thankful the my Lord answers prayers. He even cares about the stuff that some people would think as foolish! He knows MY heart and cares for MY hurts. He is a good God!!

Snot--The New Hair Gel

2007-07-01T16:32:00.000-05:00

I was in my bathroom the other day getting ready when I heard my oldest say, "Look, Mommy, I'm making her pretty"! I looked down to find my oldest wiping snot from her nose and putting it on my youngest daughter's head and then "fixing" her hair with it!

Dinner With the Girls

2007-06-29T11:31:00.000-05:00

I had a wonderful time having dinner with my dear friends, Coach Jenny, and Jenna . We had a great dinner at Ruby Tuesday's with the exception of our waiter who was either hitting on us or hitting us up for a good tip. At one point, he pulled a chair up to our table and said, "Well, I don't have much to do so I'll come talk to ya'll." He was quite annoying!! After that comment, we decided we would go get ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery. We honestly sat in both places for hours just talking. It's so nice to have friends that you can sit with and talk for hours. We didn't get home until 11:30 pm. I was yawning by then. I'm not a night owl like my friends! I wanted to show you what Jenny gave both Jenna and I as a "happy".

In case you can't read it (I think the picture is kind of dark), it says: "Good friends are like bras, supportive, never leave you hanging, make you look good and are always close to your heart." I think that fits us perfectly!:)

A Little of This and A Little of That

2007-06-24T18:00:00.000-05:00

Thank the Lord it's raining. We've been in such a drought down here and this shower is a blessing from above!! We had a great weekend at my parents celebrating my grandmother's birthday. I made her a photo album of her great-granddaughters on Shutterfly . It almost brought tears to her eyes. My grandfather was sitting next to her and I could see the envy in his eyes (good envy, of course). He loves to have pics of his great-granddaughters. Unknown to him was that we had made him one for Father's Day as well and presented it to him right after that. He was so pleased to have one of his own. He always takes pics of my girls to church to show them off so I know that he will take his photo album on Wednesday night.

We had a rough night last night. My oldest was sleeping with my parents and woke up from a bad dream about 12:30 am this morning. I went and got her (my dad had to fly to Miami today and needed his rest) and held her on the couch just as she stated she wanted. She was so restless that at 2:00 am I had to lay her in the bed. Needless to say, I didn't get any rest between 12:30 and 2:00. I'm thankful I was at my parents' house because they watched the girls and let me rest until 10:00 am this morning. I had planned to go to church but didn't make it in light of the circumstances. I wanted to stay and see my dad and grandparents off as well.

I'm looking forward to a great week. I'm going to really enjoy dinner with my two wonderful friends, Jenny and Jenna. We are going to travel about 30 minutes away to eat at Ruby Tuesday's. I wasn't in on the decision making process since I didn't make church this morning. Jenny called me this afternoon to inform me that they had made an executive decision on my behalf. Since these are two of my favorite people in the entire world, I didn't mind not one iota!!:) (Has everyone heard the word "iota" or is that a Southern term?) I love Ruby Tuesday's and am looking forward to some "girl time". My husband and sister-in-law are also going to keep my girls at my house and let me spend Monday and Tuesday night at my parent's house. It will just be me and my mom and I will enjoy the quiet time. I will begin my work week on Tuesday but I think my mom and I are planning on going to a movie Tuesday night. Jenny told me that she and dh saw Nancy Drew and really liked it.

I hope everyone has a great week!

4th of July Give-Aways

2007-06-23T17:13:00.000-05:00

5 Minutes for Mom is having another give-away! Actually, they're having 2 contests! Go check it out!

Weekend Reflection

2007-06-22T21:19:00.000-05:00

I'm started to feel rested after a very hectic week--especially at work. I had a small meltdown and if you care to hear my whining, you can read about it here and here . I'm almost over my pity party and am looking forward to a good weekend.

Monday--I stayed home with the girls and had a good day! We played in the swimming pool and just hung out at the house.
Tuesday--Work day! I spent the morning renewing my CPR and saw patients in the afternoon.
Wednesday--Work day! This was the day that the craziness started for me at work. It helped to go to church and hear our pastor continue his teaching on the book of Judges. My oldest is really enjoying her "big girl" class on Wednesday nights. She saw one of her little friends and they were so excited to see each other. They met at opposite ends of the hall, opened their arms wide and ran to each other (just like in the movies). :) They held hands to go to the bathroom and then to their class. It was the cutest thing I've ever seen! She came out of her class telling me what she learned which was "God Makes Things Grow". It does my heart good to see her enjoying herself at church with her friends and learning the Word at such a young age!
Thursday--Work day! Another crazy day!
Friday--I had a good morning with my girls and now we are at my parents celebrating my grandmother's birthday! Tomorrow morning, we are all going to pile out of bed and go to the Farmer's Market.

3 Things I'm Thankful For This Week:

1. My Savior--He continues to remind me that I'm always in His hand, holds me close when I'm "down" and teaches me lessons to strengthen me. Jesus, help me to draw close to You and give my all to You.

2. My Family & Friends (IRL and blogging)--They're wonderful! They keep me sane during my "meltdown" times.

3. My Church--We have a great church and a great church family!

For more Weekend Reflections, visit Judi at Mommy of Two.

OK--I'm Better Now

2007-06-22T08:23:00.000-05:00

Well, I don't feel like this anymore!

Last night was not a good night for me. In fact, this last week was really hard. The closer my husband gets to graduation (December), the harder it seems to be getting. We've been living here and I've been traveling for the last 20 months and I think I'm just giving out! My body feels worn out much of the time and I know my mental strength is running out! I'm just trying to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I had a great night's sleep last night and that helped me greatly! The Lord also knew what I need this morning and that is a morning at home with my girls! They both woke up in great moods and we've been having a good time together.

Now, I'm off to clean my house before we leave to go to my parents' house. My grandparents are coming today. We're going to celebrate my Mamaw's 76th birthday!

I'll post some more later! I hope you all have a great weekend!

Excuse My Complaining

2007-06-21T19:44:00.002-05:00

I try to be positive in my posts, but, the fact is, I'm tired and frustrated. I feel like all I do is travel, work and travel some more. I'm craving time to myself just to relax. One thing I haven't gotten to do lately is blog--and that is something I really enjoy. I will have some blogging time this weekend...I'm determined!

I will talk to you soon, my blogging friends!

Weekend Reflection

2007-06-15T23:09:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone is doing well! I haven't been able to blog near as much as I would have liked to lately! I've been working some extra days as well as spending a lot of time with my parents since they have moved closer to us! We are definetly enjoying their company!

The Lord continues to bless our family greatly!

Monday--I worked today which is not a usual work day for me. My boss (who is also a speech therapist) has been in Disneyworld this week. I've been to Disneyworld a couple times and loved it! I'm hoping she had a great time!
Tuesday--Work day! I went out to eat lunch with my co-workers and I enjoyed that!
Wednesday--Work day! I stayed at my parents house with my girls so I could take them to our home church. We stay so busy with my husband's school and my traveling with work that it's been hard for us to get very involved in a church where we live. Instead, it's easier for me to spend the night and go to our home church. My oldest daughter is getting to the age that I want her to know that church is part of our life and that she can expect to be there as often as possible. She has enjoyed going to her "big girl class"!
Thursday--Work day! My heart was broken today as I talked with a mother of one of my patients. She is 26 y/o and has already dealt with Ovarian cancer in her past. She stated that she originally found out about her cancer because she quit having a monthly cycle. She has, again, quit having her monthly cycle (she has already tested to make sure she isn't expecting and knows that she is not). Her eyes just filled with tears as she was explaining her symptoms to me. She has two small children, one with special needs. However, she has no medical insurance (she has applied and been denied) and is financially strained to self-pay a doctor. I have been thinking about and praying for her since I talked to her. I've got the number to the Good Samaritan Clinic in our town who provides health care for persons without insurance. I'm hoping they can help her. Please help me in praying for her! I want God to consume her (I don't believe that she has a true relationship with Him). I want Him to reveal Himself to her whether that be through me or through another way! On top of feeling burdened, this was a stressful day for me. I had difficulty with child care for my girls and found myself trying to balance work and finding someone to watch them for me. Coach Jenny helped me out by keeping the girls at her house for a couple of hours. We ended up trading vehicles for that time. When I got in her vehicle, the Lord had the perfect song waiting for me to calm my mind and renew my spirit. It was "Listen to Our Hearts" by Geoff Moore and Steven Curtis Chapman. On Thursday night, we had a wonderful dinner with Coach Jenny and her husband, dh. It was the perfect night and the Lord knew I needed that.
Friday--I ended up having to go into work for a few hours to finish paperwork that I was too busy to do during my usual work days, but it was ok. I didn't mind. We gave my dad and husband their Father's Day presents today since the rest of the weekend will be busy. Part of their presents were photo albums that I made on Shutterfly. I customized them with photos of them with the girls. They turned out really great so go check out this website if you haven't already!

We're going to spend the rest of the weekend spending time with family and going to the Lord's House on Sunday! I hope all of you have a blessed weekend!

For more Weekend Reflections, visit Judi at Mommy of Two.

Toddler Talk

2007-06-12T19:10:00.000-05:00

Here are a few conversations that have taken place around our house lately:

Oldest: Mommy, Daddy said a bad word.

Mommy: He did? What did he say?

Oldest: Daddy said "Golly". That's a big no-no!!

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Mommy: I think "youngest daughter" has a poopy diaper.

Oldest: Shoo-wee, she's stinky.

Mommy (to youngest daughter): My goodness, that's gross. Where did that come from?

Oldest: It came from her diaper.

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Oldest: Ouch! My booty hurts.

Mommy: Your bottom hurts?

Oldest: Yes m'am. Kiss it!

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Daddy: (While on vacation--pulling into Burger King drive-thru): What do you want to eat?

Oldest: I want a milkshake.

Daddy: Do you want chocolate or vanilla?

Oldest: I want banilla (Translation: I want vanilla)

Daddy: You want vanilla?

Oldest: No, I want a green milkshake.

Daddy: A green milkshake?

**At this point, we see that she's looking at the green ICEE (cherry limeade flavor) on the menu. Of course, she got a "green milkshake"!:)

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Oldest (While on vacation): Mommy, I love going on alacation. (Translation: I love going on vacation.)

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Vacation Update

2007-06-09T14:52:00.000-05:00

We had a great time at the beach! We stayed at the Phoenix East in Orange Beach, AL. The town adjacent to Orange Beach is Gulf Shores, AL. We spent some time there trying new restaurants. One of the restaurants we tried was LuLu's. LuLu is actually Jimmy Buffet's sister. The food was great! In a couple pictures, you can see my youngest eating LuLu's Key Lime Pie.

Breaking for the Beach

2007-06-04T10:00:00.000-05:00

We are leaving today for a vacation in Orange Beach, AL. This is a much needed vacation and we are all very excited! I will post pictures when I get back!! I hope all of you have a great week!

Pictures of My Youngest Daughter at 8 months

2007-06-02T20:25:00.000-05:00

Doesn't everyone sleep like this?

Friday's Feast

2007-06-01T08:27:00.000-05:00

Appetizer: Name something you think is “the best.”

Right now, I think vacations are the best!! We're leaving for Gulf Shores, AL on Monday and will be coming back on Friday! We are in desperate need of a vacation!!

Soup: On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 highest), how stressed are you today?

Seeing that I'm still in my pajamas and don't have to work today, my stress level is only about a 3. Typically, I probably stay around 5. Hopefully, it will get better when my husband graduates and we move back home.

Salad: What kind of cleanser do you use to wash your face?

Right now, soap and water. (I know that's bad). I absolutely love Merle Norman make-up and cleansers.

Main Course: Tonight is a blue moon! What is something that you believe only happens “once in a blue moon.”

I only get to sleep in "once in a blue moon", but when I do, it feels so great!!!!

Dessert: When was the last time it rained where you live?

I don't even know. It's definetly been a while!

Hosted by: Friday's Feast

I Am Elinor~ Who Are You?

2007-05-31T21:05:00.000-05:00

:: E L I N O R ::

You are Elinor Dashwood of Sense & Sensibility! You are practical, circumspect, and discreet. Though you are tremendously sensible and allow your head to rule, you have a deep, emotional side that few people often see.

Find out what Jane Austen heroine you are!

My Husband's Proudest Moment

2007-05-31T05:03:00.000-05:00

Except for our wedding day and birth of our children, this is probably my husband's proudest moment. Some of his friends might even say it tops our wedding day!:) He still, sometimes, carries around pictures of this 12 lb. bass to show people-- even though he caught it over a year ago!

Coach Jenny Is Going To Kill Me!

2007-05-29T18:12:00.000-05:00

We finally got my parents moved closer to us!! It was a very busy weekend! My parents rented a U-Haul to move all their belongings. When we got to their new house at 10:00 Saturday night, the U-Haul wouldn't make it up the driveway (which was VERY steep). So, all day Sunday, the men spent their time going up and down the driveway with a truck and trailer bringing my parents stuff up to the house. You talk about some tired men!!!

Coach Jenny and her hubby helped us so much! My girls had the best time with "Jen Jen" who stuffed them full of sugar, took them out to eat and took them shopping! You can read about their adventures here and here. She bought my girls beautiful clothes and Bath & Body Works for me which was very unexpected but greatly appreciated. Her hubby and son helped so much with moving my parents from Baton Rouge.

Just to help all our blogging friends get to know Coach Jenny even better, I thought I would post one of my favorite pictures of her.

This picture was taken at our old house at my niece's birthday party. It was a balloon party and, as you can see, we made animals and "other things" out of the balloons.

Love you, "Jen Jen"! ;)

Headed to Baton Rouge

2007-05-24T22:00:00.000-05:00

Well, we are headed to Baton Rouge tomorrow (Friday) to move my parents back to central Mississippi! This is a long awaited blessing that only God could make happen! My parents will be living one hour away from us and we are extremely excited about that! My wonderful friend, Coach Jenny , is going to come to my house to spend the night with my girls while we are out of town (her wonderful hubby is traveling with us to help move my parents). My oldest is very excited that "Jen Jen" and her daughter are coming to spend the night. Thanks "Jen Jen"!

Before I leave, JennaG tagged me for a meme! I love memes and am so glad she tagged me. Here are the rules:

Link to name of person that tagged you.
Include state and country you live in.
List top five favorite local restaurants.
Tag 5 other people and let them know they've been tagged.

First of all, I'm a little spooked about the whole internet privacy stuff so I'll only say that I'm in the Deep South of the United States--somewhere in Alabama to be more specific! I'm also only going to mention restaurants that are chains so my exact location isn't given. Sorry--just trying to be careful!:)

Some of our favorite restaurants are:

1. Olive Garden -- We absolutely love their salad and breadsticks. In fact, did you know that you can actually buy their salad dressing? We have done it many times because we love it so much!

2. Chick Fil A-- I know this is fast food but it is also one of our favorites! I also give my business to this restaurant because they close on Sunday so that their employees can attend church.

3. Outback -- This place is great! I love their blooming onion!

4. IHOP (International House of Pancakes) -- Because we love breakfast so much (and even eat it for supper sometimes), we love to eat at this restaurant.

5. Schlotzsky's -- I love their sourdough pizzas and my husband loves their Albuquerque Turkey sandwich!

Now, I tag, Farming Folks , Mo Mhile Gra , Jenileigh's Journey , My Lil Corner of the World , Mom Tu Tu .

Time Travel Tuesday

2007-05-22T20:02:00.000-05:00

Below is my first official post dated March 24, 2007. I started blogging after a lonely time in my life. We had moved away from all family and friends for my husband to pursue higher education. During this time, my friend, JennaG, gave me a book by Lisa Welchel called Taking Care of the Me in Mommy. One thing she recommended to moms needing to connect with other moms was to blog. So, I decided to try it and have loved every minute of it!

Stepping Out In Faith

This is my first official post. I'm a little nervous because sharing information about my personal thoughts and ideas take my out of my comfort zone. However, the Lord is doing wonderful things in my life and they need to be shared. In the last two years of our life, the Lord has moved my husband and I to a different city away from our wonderful church and friends that we loved so dearly. My husband decided to pursue higher education and, although, we would be able to move back to our hometown, I was bitter for being transplanted. He graduates in December and since we have moved, the Lord has taught us so much about faith and waiting. He has taught us this in a couple of areas. Obviously, with my husband in school and my working part-time, we have learned to have faith and wait for the Lord to provide our basic needs. (We have never gone without anything we need--maybe some wants--but I am learning that I can be perfectly happy and fulfilled without the some of the wants I used to think were needs.)

Another avenue we have learned faith and waiting is through our oldest daughter. She was born with a nasal tip hemangioma. It's a collection of abnormal blood vessels that grows alarmingly fast. By the time she was 9 months old, the end of her nose looked like a perfectly shaped, red ball. (I've attached a picture at the bottom.) Being the protective mother that I am, I wanted (there are those wants again) and prayed that the Lord would remove it immediately. However, she just turned two and we just returned from Little Rock, AR for another laser treatment. A year ago, we had the hemangioma removed but the red color was embedded in her skin. So, now we return every 4-6 months for a color corrective laser treatment. To this day, she has never noticed a difference in her nose and others. It was my own worries that hindered my faith. The Lord has shown himself faithful through the whole process.

I was reading a Focus On The Family magazine and read a question that someone asked Dr. Dobson. It read, "I've often heard that God will not abandon us when we go through the fiery trial. But I don't understand what that really means. What can we expect from Him in the stressful moments?" Dr. Dobson answered, "I may lack the words to describe what occurs to the faithful in times of personal crisis. Let it be said, simply, that there is often a quiet awareness in the midst of chaos that the Lord is there, and He is still in control."This is what I have been learning. Be still and now that in the midst of difficult times, the Lord is there and in control.

For more Time Travel Tuesday, visit Annie at My Life As Annie.

Fun With Stickers

2007-05-21T17:45:00.000-05:00

This is what happens when grandparents send stickers in the mail to the grandchildren!:)

Weekend Reflection

2007-05-19T10:20:00.000-05:00

The Lord has blessed us this week. We've had sickness in our household but we are on the mend!

Monday--My girls started getting sick over the weekend so I had to take both of them to the pediatrician. They were both given a decongestant and cough syrup.
Tuesday--Suppose to be a work day but my oldest woke up with 101 temperature, shrivering all over and vomiting. I stayed home with the girls and tried to nurse her back to health. We had a very good day (as long as her temperature was down) and I really enjoyed the extra time with them.
Wednesday--Typical work day! On the way home, my oldest vomited all over herself in my car! She was so upset over it and her mama felt bad for her!
Thursday--My oldest (obviously not getting any better) woke up with 101.5 degree temperature. I called my boss and told her I would be coming in late. I had planned on taking my youngest to the babysitter's house and then taking my oldest to the doctor so I wouldn't have to carry both of them and all the stuff that comes with 2 children. My oldest, however, got very upset that the youngest wouldn't be going. I thought it was so sweet that she wanted her sister with her that I took them both.:) I'm a softy. ;) After much workup, it was determined that my oldest had an ear infection in the right ear and the beginnings of pneumonia.
Friday--Our niece came home with me on Thursday night so we got to spend quality time with her on Friday. It was a nice day! However, my husband came home sick with fever. I guess we're passing it through the house! I'm praying I don't get it!!!
Saturday--Today, I'm going to a wedding. My co-worker is getting married about 1 3/4 hours away. Another colleague and I are going to meet there. It's a long way, but I'm looking forward to the drive by myself and the time without kids for a change. I love 'em but sometimes I need a break! That time is now!

3 Things I'm Thankful For This Week:

My daughters and husband are on the mend! Thank the Lord!
I haven't gotten the "bug" going around our house!
My parents are moving within 1 hour of us next weekend! (more babysitters--yeah!)

I hope everyone else had a great weekend, free of sickness!

Friday's Feast

2007-05-18T10:52:00.000-05:00

I love blog parties and was looking for a couple more to get involved with. I enjoyed this one.

Appetizer:

List 3 emotions you experienced this week.

Worry--Both my children started getting sick last weekend. We found out yesterday that my oldest has an ear infection in the right ear and the beginnings of pneumonia. My husband is now running fever and feeling bad as well.

Peace--I feel peace/comfort when I think about how the Lord is always taking care of us. I look back over stressful times in our lives and am so amazed at how the Lord intervenes in His time and brings "calm to the storm".

Happiness and Contentment--I look at my girls and wonder what I was truly living for (other than my Savior and wonderful husband) before they came. Their smiles, laughter and innocence in their words give me such joy!

Soup:

Name a car you’d love to have.

Right now, 2 small kids and all their "toys" are becoming cramped in my car. I would like to have a mini-van. My husband and I have talked about test-driving a Honda Odessey after he graduates.

Salad:

Describe your typical morning routine.

Wake up...Give youngest daughter her bottle...Wash hair...Towel dry hair, add "stuff" to hair and let air dry for a little while...eat breakfast (usually Bran Flakes and toast) and check internet...Dry hair...Get dressed...Fix older daughter breakfast (she has to eat it in the car on the days I work)...Load car...Put youngest daughter in car...Wake oldest daughter...Take oldest daughter to the potty...Put oldest daughter in car with breakfast and milk...Leave house at 6:30 to be at babysitter by 7:30 and work by 8:00. Whew! I'm tired just thinking about it!:)

Main Course:

Have you ever emailed someone famous? If so, who, and what did you say to them? Did they reply?

No, I just e-mail people I know.

Dessert:

Do you listen to podcasts? If so, which ones?

I don't listen to podcasts. I would love to though. I just listen to music with my IPOD.

See more Friday Feasts here .

It's Only Pneumonia!

2007-05-17T19:52:00.000-05:00

I have sick children! I took them both to the doctor on Monday because they both had EXCESSIVE snot and were both coughing up lots of mucous. The doctor gave them both a decongestant and cough syrup. Monday night, my oldest daughter started running fever, throwing up and having diarrhea (don't you just love hearing about that?). :) This morning, she woke up with 101.5 degree temperature so I took her back to the doctor. Turns out that she has an ear infection in her right ear and the beginnings of pneumonia. Needless to say, she was not a happy camper at the doctor's office. She had blood drawn, a chest x-ray and a shot in her leg all in one visit!

I hate to see her feeling so bad. I will be spending the next few days nursing her back to health as much as possible. The nurse practitioner at the pediatrician's office was very concerned about her staying hydrated. So far today, she has not been drinking much. Please help me pray that she begins to drink more. The last thing I want is for her to be hospitalized for dehydration. Thanks so much, my dear blogging friends!!

Cute Cartoons

2007-05-16T18:25:00.000-05:00

I saw these on a couple of sites and thought I would share a laugh with you!!

Sweet Times

2007-05-15T13:16:00.000-05:00

We spent a night at my MIL's house recently because my husband and I both had to work there the next day. My husband has to leave very early to go to work and usually doesn't get to talk to the girls before he leaves. However, as he was opening the door to leave that morning, he woke our oldest daughter up. She opened her eyes and said, "Where you was a going?" (Of course, before we said anything, we had to laugh at her use of semantics.)

My husband and I laid down in the bed with her and explained to her that Daddy had to go to work at the hospital. After talking, she was so tired that she had to close her eyes. I watched as my husband stared at her with an unbelievable amount of love in his eyes. I sat there and thought to myself how sweet it was to watch him, at that moment, be absolutely in love with her.

I'm so thankful to have a husband that is not only head over heels in love with me, but with our precious girls as well!

Weekend Reflection

2007-05-14T13:48:00.000-05:00

I'm late on my Weekend Reflection this time. I've been out of town all weekend and haven't been near a computer--I felt lost!! Here it is:

Monday--The weather was BEAUTIFUL so the girls and I spent the day mainly outside. We enjoyed swinging, playing in the sandbox and in the swimming pool. The water was freezing but my oldest had so much fun anyway.
Tuesday--Work day! We took a co-worker out to lunch as it was her last day. After work, we had a wedding shower for another speech therapist I work with. She loved the cookbook I made her and that made me happy!
Wednesday--Work day again! We stayed at my MIL's house and went to church at our home church. I got to see my dear friends Coach Jenny and JennaG .
Thursday--Work day yet again! We took my boss out to lunch for her birthday.
Friday--Spent most of the day with my girls. My sweet husband kept the girls for me for a few hours and told me to go get away by myself and watch a movie. He had seen "Spiderman" earlier in the week and recommended it to me. It was actually quite good. I really appreciated the time by myself. It does me a lot of good to have "me" time every now and then!
Saturday--We're headed to our hometown to spend the night at my MIL's house for Mother's Day.
Sunday--UPDATE: WRITTEN MONDAY--Turns out, after we got to my MIL's house, both of my girls got really sick and we weren't able to go to our home church for Mother's Day. We actually spent the day at my MIL's house wiping snot from both of their noses and listening to them cough up some serious mucous all day and night. (I know that painted a pretty picture--sorry):)

**I actually had to stay at my MIL's house Sunday night to take both of them to the doctor this morning (Monday). We got some medicine so, hopefully, they are on the mend!!

I hope everyone else's week was wonderful. For more Weekend Reflections, visit Judi at Mommy of Two .

7-8 Random Things Meme

2007-05-12T08:08:00.000-05:00

I was tagged by Mom TuTu and Monkey Giggles for a meme. Some are saying that you have to list 7 things about yourself and some are saying 8. I'm going to go ahead and do 8 to cover them both! Here goes!!

I LOVE Krispy Kreme doughnuts--really love them!!
My favorite ice cream is Blue Bell Moolineum Crunch.
I love to walk on my treadmill at night when everyone goes to sleep. It's outside in my garage right now. I open up the garage door and just enjoy looking outside while I am walking.
I want to have more children. My husband and I have 2 daughters now. We've always said we wanted to have 4.
I have naturally curly hair. When I was growing up, I would straighten it out because I didn't know how to control it. I finally found someone that could help me, and, ever since, I've loved my curly hair.
I love living in the South!
I will be married to the love of my life for 9 years on August 1st!
My husband & I have been in school the entire time we have been married. There was one semester, when our oldest daughter was born, that neither one of us was in school. He's finishing his degree in December and we will be done....FOR GOOD!!!

To Infinity and Beyond

2007-05-11T09:07:00.000-05:00

I have tons of old Disney and other "family-friendly" VHS tapes. I decided to bring out some "oldies but goodies" for my children to watch. I figured it would be a nice break from Elmo's Potty Time, Barney and Doodlebops. My "oldest" fell in love with Toy Story. Sometimes, just for kicks, I'll ask her:

Mommy: "What does Buzz Lightyear say?"
Daughter: "He say to infinidy and b'yond" (Translation: To infinity and beyond)
Mommy: "What does Woody say?"
Daughter: "He say let's wangle da cows" (Translation: Let's wrangle the cows)

Makes me laugh everytime!!:)

Goldilocks

2007-05-10T21:41:00.000-05:00

My oldest daughter has recently become addicted to the story, "Goldilocks and the Three Bears". My mother got her interested in the story and actually bought her the book a couple of weekends ago. One of the things that my mother incorporated in the story is that "porridge" is "kind of like oatmeal". I thought this was a good way of explaining what porridge is. Of course, now, everything she talks about is "kind of like oatmeal". :)

Tonight, I was in her room, holding her in my lap and hugging her. All of the sudden, she heard my husband making noise in the living room. She asked, "What's Daddy doing"? I told her that he was locking the doors. She looked at me, with a very serious face, and asked, "Locking the doors like Goldilocks"?

It took me a minute to put together what she was saying. I finally realized that she was associating "lock" (as in locking doors) with "lock" (as in Goldilocks). We got tickled at her and just had to laugh.

Sharing Recipes

2007-05-10T17:45:00.000-05:00

I mentioned that I made a recipe book for a colleague at work who is getting married. I thought I would share some of the recipes that my co-workers and I contributed.

Hot Chicken Salad

2 cups toasted croutons

2 cups chicken (canned or boiled)

1 1/2 cups shredded cheese

1/4 cup slivered almonds

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup cream of chicken

1/2 tsp. salt

Combine 1/2 croutons and other ingredients. Put in baking dish and cover with remaining croutons. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

Baked Beans (This is actually my recipe)

2 large cans Bush's Original Baked Beans

1/3 cup ketchup

1 tsp. mustard

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 can pineapple chunks with some juice

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 onion, chopped

2 pkgs. smoked sausage

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Brown smoked sausage. Combine all ingredients and cook for 35-40 minutes until heated through.

I will share more in the days to come. Hope you enjoy!!

Pictures From the Weekend

2007-05-07T11:50:00.000-05:00

We went to my grandparents house to celebrate my dad's birthday!! Here he is holding up his present--an IPOD nano with docking station!!

Here is Grandpa getting lots of help blowing out his candles from my oldest daughter!

My oldest daughter thinks birthday cake is one of the major food groups!! Hey, I'm not arguing with that!!

Yes, my youngest daughter agrees. Chocolate icing is DEFINETLY one of the major food groups!

While we were there, I gave my mom her Mother's Day presents. She collects cookbooks (especially ones that have history behind them). I gave her two cookbooks that provide history of the small town to which they are moving to this month.

This is my youngest daughter with her great-grandfather (my paternal grandfather). It's so precious to watch him with my girls!

Weekend Reflection

2007-05-06T19:52:00.000-05:00

I've had a great week. It's been predictable with work but also blessed with travel and time with family.

Monday--I stayed home with my girls and did a ton of laundry. This tends to be an all day affair at my house.

Tuesday--Work day!! My girls and I stayed at my MIL's house to avoid traveling all 3 days.

Wednesday--Work day!! At lunch, I went to buy a wedding present for a colleague. She's not a very good cook, so I decided to go to Hallmark and buy her a recipe book. I've given recipe cards to everyone at work to fill out and fill her recipe book. I thought this would make it a little more personal to have recipes from everyone she works with. I've gotten great recipes so far. I think it will be a great gift. I will share some of the recipes from it later.

Thursday--Work day!! I had a haircut appt. at lunch. I missed my last appt. when my car wouldn't start and she couldn't fit me in her schedule again until now. Is she busy or what? I just so happen to use the same stylist as JennaG and CoachJ . Everyone at work was taking a student of ours out to eat Mexican because it was her last day, but I had to miss it to get my hair cut. My hair was looking something like this:

Friday--The girls and I woke up, I packed us and we left for my grandparents' house. My husband didn't get to go because he had to work. I took my MIL, niece and nephew with me. After my parents got there, we had a birthday party for my dad. We partied all weekend finishing off 2 cakes and homemade strawberry ice cream. We all enjoyed riding four wheelers, fishing and spending time together.

Things I'm Thankful for This Week:

I'm thankful that I got my friend's wedding present bought and it is turning out to be really nice.
I'm thankful I got my hair cut and I don't look like I'm wearing some kind of bush on my head. :)
I'm thankful we had such a great time at my grandparent's house and that my dad had a great birthday!!

To see more Weekend Reflections, visit Judi at Mommy of Two .

Blog Design Give-Away

2007-05-06T17:20:00.000-05:00

Go visit Everyday Mommy and sign up for a new blog design!! Or don't...I would love to have it! :)

Small Blogging Break

2007-05-04T11:48:00.000-05:00

I will be taking a small blogging break for a few days as we are heading out of town. We are traveling to my grandparent's house to celebrate my dad's birthday. We will, hopefully, enjoy a weekend of fishing, riding four wheelers and just hanging out enjoying each other's company and the wonderful weather God is giving us. I will be back sometime Sunday night! I hope everyone has a blessed weekend!!

A Tag for CoachJ

2007-05-03T19:52:00.000-05:00

CoachJ tagged me for this. I'm suppose to tell you 7 facts about me that you may not already know.

1. I lived in Hernando, MS for 8 years. If you don't know, this is just south of Memphis. This is where I lived before I moved away to college. I went to a small, Christian school called Southern Baptist Educational Center (SBEC). I switched to this school in 10th grade. It was the best thing that could have happened for me. It was a much smaller student-teacher ratio and all of my teachers were believers that not only cared about my grades, but also my relationship with God. It is a WONDERFUL school!!

2. I met my husband when I was 17 at a church camp. He was 21 at the time. He was working as a LPN on the weekends at a nursing home while pursuing his Associates Degree in Nursing during the week. I was about to begin my Senior year in high school. I somehow chose to go to the same college that he attended after I graduated (Imagine that!:). We got married after my freshman year of college. He finished his RN degree in May began working in the Critical Care Unit in June and we married in August! I love him more now than I ever have.

3. There are many things I want to learn to do one day: cake decorating, sewing, play piano (I play a little now from taking lessons as a child). I don't feel that I have the time to do these things right now. I'm hoping I will have more time to accomplish these after my husband graduates school and we move back home.

4. I eat most food plain. I don't like lettuce, tomatoes, onion, pickle or mayo on my hamburgers. I only eat ketchup, mustard and cheese. However, I do eat lettuce in salads, but not much else. I only like lettuce, cheese, croutons and salad dressing on my salads. What can I say? I'm a plain kind of girl!:)

5. I had gestational diabetes with my last pregnancy. I had to get my blood drawn once a week and had to follow a strict diet. By the end of my pregnancy, I was drinking about 200 ounces of fluid a day due to the extreme thirst that comes with diabetes. My daughter ended up weighing 9 pounds at delivery (which was actually 2 weeks before her due date). I have an increased chance of developing Type 2 diabetes later in life after having gestational diabetes. Since then, I have quit drinking anything with sugar in it.

6. I am a speech therapist at the local hospital in our hometown. I do both outpatient and inpatient therapy. I work with both children and adults who are experiencing many different difficulties. I work with children to develop their speech sounds as well as language development. I work with adults who have had strokes, traumatic brain injuries, neurological disease (Parkinson's, etc.). I also work with individuals who are experiencing difficulty swallowing due to different reasons.

7. My husband and I love to travel. We haven't gotten to travel too far off due to being in school the entire time we've been married (9 years--but we'll be done for good in December). We've been to Ashville, NC, Savannah, GA, Orlando, FL and Gatlinburg, TN. My husband has been to Colorado before we got married. I went to the Bahamas on my Senior trip in high school. We really want to go to Hawaii, Colorado (together), and the Grand Canyon.

Everyone that I know in the blogosphere has already been tagged. If you haven't been tagged and you participate, please let me know. I would love to read it!!

Mother's Day Give-Away

2007-05-02T18:48:00.000-05:00

5 Minutes for Mom is having a great give-away for Mother's Day! Go check it out!

Working In the Yard!!

2007-05-02T18:18:00.000-05:00

My daughter was supposed to be sleeping but heard her Daddy working in the flowerbeds outside her window. She got in the window and started yelling, "Come get me out!"

Of course we did and she enjoyed helping her Daddy plant flowers!

Here's my handsome husband planting flowers!

Passing Gas

2007-04-30T15:03:00.000-05:00

I've mentioned before that my husband is working on his Master's degree in Nurse Anesthesia. He has affectionately referred to his job of putting people to sleep as "passing gas" for a living.

Yes, it's crude, I know.

So, of course, when my husband came home this afternoon, my oldest daughter ran to him and asked "Daddy, were you passing gas today?"

I'm so proud of the manners she is learning!